Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar blamed the Shubman Gill-led side's fielding after the team suffered a 41-run defeat in the third ODI against New Zealand at Holkar Stadium in Indore. With that win, New Zealand defeated India 2-1 in the three-match ODI series.
Sunil Gavaskar on India's defeat against New Zealand
Gavaskar, who was doing commentary duties during the third ODI, did not mince words regarding the "lacklustre" defensive effort. During a detailed post-match discussion with former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull, Gavaskar said that the series was not necessarily lost due to insufficient efforts by the batters or bowlers, but rather to the soft concessions made in the field during the middle overs.
The legendary batter targeted India's inability to stop the rotation of strike, which allowed New Zealand's middle order to shift the momentum of the game after losing two quick wickets.
"I don't want to take names, but certain individuals allowed singles to be taken very easily. Yes, Rohit Sharma was quick, and Virat Kohli, we all know what an athlete he is on the field, but I just felt the fielding could have been a lot more proactive," Gavaskar stated in a chat with Doull after the match.
New Zealand created history
Notably, this was New Zealand's first ODI series win on Indian soil since 1988. It also came just over a year after their 3–0 Test series win in India in 2024, which had ended India’s 12-year unbeaten run at home in Test cricket.
India vs New Zealand 3rd ODI
In the third and final ODI, after being asked to bat, New Zealand put up a strong total of 337 for 8 despite losing two wickets in the power play. While chasing, India were soon in trouble at 71 for 4, but Virat Kohli’s fighting 124, along with useful contributions from Nitish Kumar Reddy (53) and Harshit Rana (52), briefly kept hopes alive. However, New Zealand struck at key moments to seal a 41-run win and take the series 2–1.